


Love scenes

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, M/M, Relationship(s), Romance, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-19
Updated: 2003-01-19
Packaged: 2018-11-20 10:32:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11333979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Walter and Alex's tango of love is explored through jazz music.





	Love scenes

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Love scenes

### Love scenes

#### by Laurel

Notes: Based on Diana Krall's "Love scenes", each vignette is told from alternating points of view. Songs appear in a different order than on the well-worn cassette I've been listening to for months. Lyrics appear at the end of each snippet. 

Spoilers: Around season 6. 

"I don't know enough about you" 

The letters and numbers blurred in front of my eyes until they swam like the little fish in Mulder's tank. They darted here and there and in the middle of it all, a fact, a word, would stand still, like a fish floating to the top, drawing the eye and holding it there. 

A birth date, a birth place, innocuous facts that prodded my imagination. It would all have been made up. It was just smoke and mirrors. It was lies and innocent smiles while a middle finger was thrust at me from a cocky, grinning bastard. 

He'd turned parted hair into a glossy mane I wanted to twist my fingers into, emerald eyes like gems that sparkled cold fire, lips that begged kissing or a hard smack to wipe away the smug smile that parted them. 

I drowned my feelings in Scotch, soft amber fluid with a sharp bite that burned like the trail of his fingers. Didn't work. 

Lust was spoiled by the alcohol that dulled the senses but it still clawed at me like the memory of his bewitching eyes, his sweet lips. 

The memories clung to me tightly, as hard to pull away as tight jeans from his long legs, the way his leather jacket clung to his back. 

I learned the techniques that made him moan, the touches that made him beg for more, whether it was a caress down his supple back or a mouth at his neck. 

Luckily I had broad shoulders for the times he needed to hide his tearful face from me. 

His eyes are the ocean's depths, hiding his secrets. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, to keep him safe, to see those eyes light up once again with love, to hear the soft thump of his boots in the deep night, coming to me. 

I know a little bit  
About a lot of things  
But I don't know enough about you  
Just when I think you're mine  
You try a different line and  
Baby, what can I do? 

I read the latest news  
No buttons on my shoes  
Baby, I'm confused about you  
You've got me in a spin and  
What a spin I'm in  
'Cause I don't know enough about you 

Jack of all trades, master of none  
And isn't it a shame  
I'm so sure that you'd be good for me   
If you'd only play my game 

You know I went to school and  
I'm nobody's fool  
That is to say until I met you  
You've got me in a spin and  
What a spin I'm in  
'Cause I don't know enough about you 

I know a bit about biology  
A little more about psychology  
I'm a little gem in geology  
But I don't know enough about you 

* * *

"That old feeling" 

So there I was, minding my own business, just hanging out, at loose ends, with nothing to occupy my time or my mind. 

I watched the street, watched the people living their lives, smiling deep down inside at all the frivolity, the distractions that occupied them. There was a blur of motion, an unmistakable frame that entered my field of vision. You were instantly recognizable, from the top of your shiny head, gleaming pink in the late afternoon light, down the broad shoulders that, like Atlas, carried the weight of the world, right down to those damn blindingly shiny black shoes of yours. 

Your step was light for such a big man. You threaded through the traffic like a shark, slicing past the tourists and businessmen, past lawyers chatting on their cell phones, carrying brief cases loaded with the fates of the innocent and the guilty. 

You'd think I'd have gotten over you. A few tumbles in the sack and I'd be satisfied with never seeing you again, never feeling the touch of your hands for the rest of my sorry life. 

Boy was I wrong. 

There was a stirring in my heart, in my groin, that buzzing feeling I get in my head when you're near. 

It was early evening by the time you reached your destination. In the safety of your car, the sky dimmed, the neon lights shone through the fog of night. 

You were dressed to kill or should I say thrill? 

I watched you until night swallowed up the light, watched you for hours yet until dawn beckoned and fatigue made my eyes heavy. I followed you home. Just before you put the key in the lock you turned. Shadows played over your face from the circle of light in the doorway. Did you just wink at me? 

Last night I started out happy,  
Last night my heart was so gay,  
Last night I found myself dancing  
In my favorite cabaret.  
You were completely forgotten,  
Just an affair of the past.  
Then suddenly something happened to me, And I found my heart beating, oh so fast. 

I saw you last night and got that old feeling. When you came in sight I got that old feeling. The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill, And when you caught my eye my heart stood still. Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning. And I knew the spark of love was still burning. There'll be no new romance for me,  
It's foolish to start,  
For that old feeling is still in my heart. 

* * *

"Gentle Rain" 

The patter of rain reinforced the gloom. My black umbrella was an ink spot in a sea of gray. The gray was a uniform color, the various shades fading and blending into one another. Gray concrete sidewalk spotted with darker gray rain. Puddles of brackish water swirled at my feet. 

The concrete bench was the only place to sit. It was sheltered by a canopy of trees. The leaves wept with the rain, shook it off as the breeze rattled the branches. 

Beyond the park, people in slick raincoats hurried across the pavement, intent on escaping the storm, tenting black and white newspapers over their heads until the newsprint blurred. 

The rain slithered over the blades of sharp green grass and slid mournfully over the petals of the flowers in the crisply edged garden forcing the flower heads to bow down. 

He walked slowly, gracefully, reluctantly, my way. He had no hat perched jauntily on his head, no umbrella to shield him. His only concession to the weather was the upturned collar of his leather jacket. 

The rain glided down the black leather, tried to grip the slick surface but failed. Dew covered his face, glistening on his pale cheeks and in the thick lashes that framed his emerald eyes but as he sat next to me and turned his serious, sad face my way, I saw that they were tears. They traced a path down a smooth high cheekbone and disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. His face was etched in sadness, an alabaster mask of sorrow. 

I took his hand, held it cupped between my hands, trying to heat its chilled surface. He sighed and leaned his cheek against mine. His tears were warm, as warm as the gentle rain. 

I clutched his hand tighter and he shuddered. His stiff body trembled and he pushed his face into my neck where his tears mingled with the rain that had managed to spot the fabric of my shirt with its musty scent and clinging dampness. 

When it was time for him to leave, I walked with him to the edge of the park. He gave me a sad smile and rubbed his face dry with his single hand. 

The rain pattered all around us, sprinkling his dark hair with dew. The pale glow of a street lamp turned the shimmering drops into a halo. My fallen angel was weary but strong, ready to face his fight again. 

The long black car turned down the drive slowly, searching. I held back, standing behind a thick tree trunk and watched him walk to the car. It was idling by the curb, having found its passenger. The door opened, waiting for him to climb inside. 

He closed the door behind him and the car slid away noiselessly. The windows were darkened so I couldn't see inside or who rode with him although I had an idea. 

I traced an imaginary smile against the glass of the window-- it was smoke gray with traces of rain sliding down its surface like tears. 

We both are lost  
and alone in the world  
Walk with me  
in the gentle rain  
Don't be afraid, I've a hand  
for your hand and I  
will be your love for a while 

I feel your tears as they fall   
on my cheek  
They are warm like gentle rain  
Come little one you have me in the  
world and our love will be sweet  
Very sweet 

Our love will  
be sweet very sad  
very sweet like gentle rain  
like the gentle rain  
like the gentle rain. 

* * *

"They can't take that away from me" 

The driver kindly turned up the heat. The car was cold and I was shivering in my thin tee-shirt and worn jeans, even though I had my jacket on. The raindrops rolled down my back, making my spine contract with the cool contact. 

There was a little hole above the knee of my jeans that I stuck my little finger into. I worried the hole, splitting it wider, tearing at the threads trying to hold together. 

His smile was grim, his head haloed in smoke. His eyes promised pain and I knew he would deliver. 

But no pain could be worse than being taken away from you forever. They didn't know about you, about us, I'm sure of it. I'm always careful to the point of paranoia that's greater than Mulder's. 

I would endure whatever pain they would put me through, go wherever they asked me to, kill whomever they wanted, as long as our secret stayed safe. 

To steel myself against the fear and pain, my mind played back all the wonderful little moments we had shared--that night when you dressed in a tuxedo and dragged me to an out of the way fancy restaurant I wouldn't be caught dead in, never mind plastering my face against the darkened windows. I was ashamed to be by your side in my worn clothes, unable to take off my leather jacket because of the gun I didn't want anyone to see. 

You just smiled and kissed my fingers, waving away the maitre d' when he approached, beaming with love for me and more importantly flaunting it in front of everyone. 

You fed me by hand, drowned my fears in champagne and kisses that had me giddy enough to allow you to bring me to the dance floor and be scooped into your arms. 

It was the most creative tango I'm sure anyone had ever seen, your long legs tangling with mine, your breath racing a hot trail down my neck when you dipped me dangerously low to the floor, your eyes flashing desire and not caring who saw it, your mouth tenderly depositing a red rose in my mouth. 

Afterwards we made love in the car and your tuxedo lay in a shambles of fabric and the rose petals plucked from the stem crushed between us. 

I hold on to these memories and am comforted. I will not be afraid. 

The way you wear your hat  
The way you sip your tea  
The memory of all that  
No, no they can't take that away from me The way your smile just beams  
The way you sing off key  
The way you haunt my dreams  
No, no they can't take that away from me 

We may never, never meet again on  
The bumpy road to love  
Though I'll always, always keep  
The memory of... 

The way you hold your knife  
The way we danced 'till three  
The way you changed my life  
No, no they can't take that away from me No, they can't take that away from me 

* * *

"I miss you so" 

I dreamed he was asleep in my arms, his soft, hot skin glued to mine in the moments after making love when we're content and warm, drowsy as cats in the sun, sticky as honey, his arm clinging to my chest, my arms wrapped around him, our legs a reassuring knot, sweat drying to a thin film, making his hair curl up at the nape of his neck. He pushed his face into the crook of my shoulder and sighed. 

Just moments ago he was hard and aching, his low voice crooning and begging, hoarse cries of entreaty, purring sounds of satisfaction when I gave him what he wanted. No, it wasn't only desire, it was need that strained his voice. 

His final shouts wrenched from his throat, brought forth my own scream. His voice was branded on my soul, my name a prayer on his lips. 

He curled around me, his body seeking my arms, my comfort, the hand caressing his back and pulling him ever closer until our bodies were a puzzle of flesh no one could separate. 

I opened my eyes to find dawn, the new day pushing insistently into my face. An unforgiving ray of light stroked the dream from my mind. I was alone. 

Those happy hours I spent with you  
That lovely afterglow  
Most of all, I miss you so 

Your sweet caresses, each rendezvous  
Your voice so soft and low  
Most of all, I miss you so 

You once filled my heart with  
No regrets, no fears  
Now you'll find my heart  
Filled to the top with tears 

I'll always love you and want you, too  
How much you'll never know  
Most of all, I miss you so. 

* * *

"I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you" 

I was the best in surveillance, the best at stalking you. No, not stalking, following, just watching, always watching but never touching. 

You never did see me. I was a ghost haunting my own landscape. 

I'd go about my business when not on assignment. I had the semblance of a life--a small apartment that I filled with plants that died when I went away, furniture with no personality, music that sounded like white noise because thoughts of you haunted me to distraction. 

I saw him in your arms that one night and my world exploded or was it imploded? My fantasies collapsed with a silent cry I couldn't vent. 

He needed you. He needed like a helpless child, like a wounded animal that can only focus on its own hurt. She was missing or dying yet again and he turned to you. That blight on my world, an insect in the ointment, a wrench in my plans, you follow me, don't you? Mulder in the middle yet again, spoiling my dreams. 

Wasn't she enough for him? Two lost souls who have found each other, two halves of a whole that can't be separated? Illness was a hurdle to cross, a temporary barricade. Not even death could come between them. Yet there he was, usurping the arms that I knew belonged to me, that wrapped around me in my dreams. 

He finally went home and you were alone. 

I sighed, felt my world knit itself back together so carefully as though it were a delicate tea cup that was still fragile and could break with one wrong touch. 

My spirit soared across that space, through the dark night to be with you. You spent the night alone, as always and I could breathe again. 

I love you oh so madly  
I need your love so badly  
But I don't stand a  
ghost of a chance with you 

I thought at last I had found you  
but other arms surround you  
And I don't stand a   
ghost of a chance with you 

If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two you might discover that I'm the lover meant for you and I'd be true 

So what's the good of all my scheming  
I know I must be dreaming  
For I don't stand a   
ghost of a chance with you 

* * *

"How deep is the ocean (how high is the sky)?" 

The street was a zigzagging snake, the black pavement with its single white stripe was an hypnotic lane that led to him. 

The hills, striped in fading bronze and mauve, rolled gently up and down. The roller coaster road flattened out to a straight lane filled with mirages that shimmered just ahead in the desert air. 

The brush gave way to sand, honey colored flats of earth. Great hulking birds dotted the landscape and in the middle a lonely tree staked its claim. 

The sun rose higher to send a white beam of light through the dry air and made the mirage at the end of the road shimmer. It seemed so close but every time I approached it, I only found it pushed further away from me, into the blending colors of the landscape, always a little out of my reach. 

The riotous bloom of cactus blew its soft petals at me as the car whirred by, whipping the soft fronds as it sped past. 

The soft greens and browns, the amber trails of dirt that led nowhere all faded and melded together. The sun touched the land with golden rays, until twilight began to creep upon the sky. In just a little while, the crescent moon took the place of the sun and the sky filled with a million stars, too numerous to count, dazzling my eyes. 

The sky was a velvet blanket punched through with tiny diamonds. The car sped through the night, bursting through the specks of dust, grit and grime that coated its paint, insects smashed against the windshield in its wake, hurtling past startled lizards and snakes coiled beneath their rocks. 

I smiled at the wondrous sight racing away in the rearview. The crescent moon glowed a ghostly white, a little slice of light to guide me. 

How much do I love you?  
I'll tell you no lie.  
How deep is the ocean?  
How high is the sky?  
How many times in a day  
Do I think of you?  
How many roses are   
sprinkled with dew? 

How far would I travel  
just to be where you are?  
How far is the journey  
from here to a star?  
And if I ever lost you  
how much would I cry?  
How deep is the ocean?  
How high is the sky? 

* * *

"Peel me a grape" 

He indulged me, spoiled me, made my fantasies a reality, made my real life a fantastic nightmare in the realm of his arms. 

I was safe and warm there, melted into an acquiescent sensual creature with no time to think of anything other than being pleasured. 

He brought me a white fur rug to lie on before the fire that crackled and hissed--the purest white hairs caressed me, a rug to be debauched upon, that would blush at the things he did to me. He bought me the silkiest sheets and a cashmere blanket to curl up in in case it got cold. It never did. He was always there to warm me up. He was my body slave in every possible way. 

He hand fed me whatever I desired--plump strawberries that burst on my tongue, fat juicy grapes that chilled my cheeks, caviar on sharp crackers, French champagne to drink it down. Of course, there was chocolate, the most delicate imported cocoa delicacies that resembled shells, fluted, crimped, round morsels filled with liquers, with sweet dripping syrup, with pillows of sweet cream, with truffles that melted on my tongue. 

He licked away the little bits that clung to my lips. He drank away the burn of liquor from my tongue. 

He indulged every whim, every fantasy, every wicked thought that entered my mind. He drowned me with sweet devouring kisses, stroked hot fire through my body like a blazing star trailing sparks down my spine, making my eyes close with pleasure. 

He gave me everything I asked, obeyed my every command when we made love. And when he had finished, he just gave me more. 

Peel me a grape, crush me some ice  
Skin me a peach, save the fuzz for my pillow Poach me a prawn, talk to me nice  
You've got to wine me and dine me  
Don't try to fool me, bejewel me  
Either amuse me or lose me  
I'm getting hungry, peel me a grape 

Pop me a cork, French me a fry  
Crack me a nut, bring a bowl fulla bon-bons Chill me some wine, keep standing by  
Just entertain me, champagne me  
Show me you love me, kid glove me  
Best way to cheer me, cashmere me  
I'm getting hungry, peel me a grape 

Here's how to be an agreeable chap  
Love me and leave me in luxury's lap  
Hop when I holler, skip when I snap  
When I say, "do it," jump to it 

Send out for scotch, call me a cab  
Cut me a rose, make my tea with the petals Just hang around, pick up the tab  
Never out think me, just mink me  
Polar bear rug me, don't bug me  
New Thunderbird me, you heard me  
I'm getting hungry, peel me a grape 

* * *

"You're getting to be a habit with me" 

It was just past sunset. The last rays of red shimmered over the table top and sunk below the balcony, the sun's violent light divided by the steel railing into narrow rectangles. The last golden light sparkled in the glass of Scotch I held in my hand. 

The clock ticked off the seconds, mocking me. I finished the drink in one swallow, the liquor burning down my throat. I fiddled with the CD player, trying to find the right music, something jazzy but light, something that wouldn't distract us. 

My disappointment at his lateness was tempered only by a sharp blade of anger. That emotion was tamped down by anticipation. Sweet, sickening, giddy anticipation. The man was like a drug and I was the addict. 

Every kiss I drank from his lips intoxicated me further. It did little to abate my thirst. Each touch of his hot velvet skin sparked a fire in my body. His wet tongue only served to inflame me further. The touch of his hand could send me out of orbit, spinning out of control, spirit soaring out of the confines of real life. I was his slave, body and mind. He was a habit I couldn't, didn't want to break. 

There was a quick staccato of a knock at the door. I slammed the glass down so sharply drops of amber liquid splashed out. The door banged against the wall when I opened it. 

He stood there in grim black, a lazy smile on his face. 

"You're late," I growled. 

I pulled him in. He cuddled into my arms, and pushed the door shut with his booted foot. 

He melted into my frame, like hot chocolate pouring sensuously into every inch of me. His mouth was lush velvet, his touch electric as he began to pull at the knot of my tie. One heavy thigh insinuated itself between my legs and he rubbed himself against me like a cat leaving his musky scent on his territory. 

His cheek was smooth as he caressed it against mine. He was freshly shaved and perfumed. His cupid's mouth was red and swelling from the attention I was giving it. His lips curled into a smile as my tongue explored further down his alabaster neck and into the sweet curve of his little ear. I was rewarded with a little purr of contentment. 

The jazz music's thumping bass and tinkling piano followed us upstairs. 

His one hand was busy and hot against my flesh as he stripped me. His eyes held mine--twin gleaming emeralds as deep and mysterious as the sea. 

I pulled him down to me, his naked skin burning me, his mouth sucking mine until I drowned in his kisses. He apologized really well. 

Every kiss, every hug seems to act just like a drug You're getting to be a habit with me 

Let me stay in your arms,  
I'm addicted to your charms  
You're getting to be a habit with me 

I used to think your love was something That I could take or leave alone  
But now I just can't do without my supply, I need you for my own 

No I can't break away  
I must have you every day  
As regularly as coffee or tea  
You've got me in your clutches and I can't break free You're getting to be a habit with me--can't break it You're getting to be a habit with me 

* * *

"My love is" 

How can I express in words the feelings I have? 

I used to think my heart had shrunk same as that weasel-like creature, the Grinch. It had melted, shrunk, been chipped away by my own disintegrating humanity. It had imploded like a demolished building. 

It began to grow in those rare moments of human contact with you. It was difficult to use the palm pilot. I played with the buttons, shuddering at the thought of sending pain coursing through that body that made me ache to feel you conquer me again. But it was never personal, just business. 

In quick, quiet moments we had met, working warily together. Little by little, we began to trust one another reluctantly. A brief contact of fingers touching was the candle flame of passion. Your brown eyes melted into gentle beams of light that warmed me. A quirk of a smile, a softening tone of voice all seduced me, swayed me, built a fire in me I'd thought long grown cold. 

My heart was warmed by the glowing embers. There was a touch of flame still left in it and left to smolder, sparked into a fire. 

I wrecked the palm pilot after that searing kiss that made me hum right down to my toes. 

My heart pounded and pushed at my chest as if to escape the cage formed by my ribs. It had grown a hundred times its size. 

I smashed the weapon into smaller pieces, no longer willing to use it as extortion, revenge, a bargaining tool. Now it was just us, two men in love and I was willing to go to any lengths to keep the fire burning. 

My love, my love is a mountainside so firmSo firm it can calm the tide  
My love for you is a mountainside  
It stands so firm it can calm the tide  
That's why my love, my love is a mountainside 

My love, my love is an ocean's roar  
So strong, so strong that I can't let you go My love for you is an ocean's roar  
It's grown so strong that I can't let you go That's why my love, my love is an ocean roar 

My love is longer than forever  
And endless as the march of time  
Till nine-nine years after never   
In my heart you'll still be mine  
Because my love  
My love is a deep blue sea  
So deep, so deep that I'll never be free My love for you is a deep blue sea  
It's grown so strong that I'll never be free That's why my love, my love is a deep blue sea. 

* * *

"Lost mind" 

I thought of putting an ad in the lost and found. You know, those little blurbs searching for a beloved kitten that's wandered away from its home, a treasured locket lost somewhere in the vicinity of a ten block radius, fallen from a girl's throat, a backpack containing a much needed college thesis. All inconsequential. 

What I've lost is so much more difficult to regain. I don't suppose you've come across it in your travels? No, didn't think so. You can search all the world and even beyond this universe and you'd never find it. 

You could look under every rock, search every nook and cranny, crack every safe and you'd never discover the littlest clue to its whereabouts. It wasn't just my heart and soul, but my mind too, all gone, snatched away by his clever fingers like a magician's sleight of hand, gone in an instant and all the while his green eyes twinkled and danced. My little devil never did give it back. 

Say if you do find it, just drop me a line. 

If you could be so kind  
To help me find my mind  
I'd like to thank you in advance   
Know this before you start  
My soul's been torn apart  
I lost my mind in a wild romance 

My future is my past  
Its memory will last  
I'll live to love the days gone by  
Each day this comes and goes is like  
the one before  
My mind is lost till the day I die 

Words would fail me if I tried   
to describe him  
Though I know he's not what he   
should have been  
He was the Devil with the face  
of an angel  
He was cruel and sweet, sweet and cruel as homemade sin  
If you could be so kind, to help me find my mind I'd like to thank you in advance  
Know this before you start  
My soul's been torn apart  
I lost my mind in a wild romance. 

* * *

"All or nothing at all" 

I wanted it all, not halfway, that wasn't for me. Not a few stolen moments, not a second of regret, nor hesitation, the briefest question of right or wrong, no recanting. 

I wanted to plunge head on without a single thought, to fully immerse myself in you without seeing a look in your eyes that explained it away as just a momentary lapse, an error in judgment, a one night stand, a flight of fancy, a fever dream. 

I wanted to own you and in turn be possessed, owned, cared for by you forever or until the end, whichever came first. I wasn't asking for the world, just for you; to be completely yours, for you to be completely mine, that's all I'm asking. 

All or nothing at all  
Half a love never appealed to me  
If your heart never could yield to me  
Then I'd rather have nothing at all 

All or nothing at all  
If it's love there ain't no in-between  
Why begin and cry for something that  
might have been  
Then I'd rather have nothing at all 

Please don't put your lips so close to my cheek Don't smile or I'll be lost beyond recall The kiss in your eyes, the touch of your hand makes me weak and my heart may  
grow dizzy and fall  
And if I fell under the spell of your call I would be caught in the undertow  
So you see, I've got to say no  
No, all or nothing at all 

* * *

"Garden in the rain" 

He sat there happily, patiently waiting in the rain. A smile greeted me--a face that had resisted smiles, had fought against levity, had defied the ability to laugh. His brown eyes glowed warmly, like pools of dark honey. 

The flowers near the cottage were draped in dew, nodding their heads in the gentle rain that thrummed against the spider web framed between a wooden wheel sunk into the ground and the wood siding of the cozy house. The flowers were like the spokes of the wheel-- white daisy petals, lavender cone flower petals, dark yellow black-eyed Susan petals all revolving around their button-like middles. 

The rain fell through a spout and into a barrel where the water spun into a little whirlpool. The rain drained into the garden quenching the earth's thirst a drop at a time. 

His arms were welcoming, crushing me into his embrace. His naked scalp was sprinkled with rain and I licked the drops away. His booming laughter startled the song birds on the lawn and they flew away in a great flutter of wings. 

He pulled me closer and covered my mouth pressing warm velvet lips to mine. I let his tongue inside, welcoming the warm wetness that curled around mine. 

The perfume of the garden surrounded us, tickled the senses like squirrel grass between our fingers or dewy grass beneath our feet. 

In a little while the rain stopped but we were wet with each other's kisses, even as the sun dried our skin. The sky melted into pale blue, shot through with a rainbow that arched into the wide expanse. 

The spider emerged to find its web dry and habitable. The flowers shook off the dew that clung to their petals in the little breeze that pushed them to and fro. 

I took his hand and we ran down the gravel path, laughing, clutching hands, teeth flashing, heels kicking up pebbles, welcoming the sun like children greeting a new summer day, waving good-bye to the rain. 

T'was just a garden in the rain  
Close to a little leafy lane  
A touch of color 'neath skies of gray  
The raindrops kissed the flowers beds  
The blossoms raised their leafy heads  
A perfumed thank you they seemed to say 

Surely here was charm beyond compare to view Maybe it was just that I was there with you 

T'was just a garden in the rain  
But then the sun came out again  
And sent us happily on our way. 

* * *

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Laurel


End file.
